According to the Bank of Estonia systemically important credit institutions are institutions whose failure to function could seriously endanger the financial system and the real economy. Their importance may stem from their size, their complexity or their interdependence with other participants in the financial system.

Credit institutions that are systemically important to the domestic financial system are identified in Estonia by Eesti Pank. Eesti Pank uses the guidelines issued by the EBA for its assessment, and also considers the specific features of the Estonian financial system. The bank assesses the systemic importance of credit institutions each year and updates its list of the credit institutions that are important to the domestic financial system.

In 2015 Eesti Pank named two banks as systemically important credit institutions: Swedbank AS and AS SEB Pank.

As well as identifying systemically important credit institutions, Eesti Pank has the right to set requirements for holding own funds of up to 2% of total risk exposure for institutions that are important to the domestic financial system. Eesti Pank will decide on the buffer rates for credit institutions that are important for the domestic financial system in the first half of 2016, and at the same time will reassess the systemic risk buffer rate.